Louisa Nolan MM (1898–?) was an Irish woman recognized with the

Military Medal The Military Medal (MM) was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Army and other arms of the British Armed Forces, armed forces, and to personnel of other Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, below commissioned o ...

by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. George w ...

for her bravery and humanitarian aid during the

Easter Rising The Easter Rising (), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the aim of establishing an ind ...

in Dublin, Ireland in 1916.

Early life

Nolan was the daughter of ex-Head Constable Nolan of the Royal Irish Constabulary. She had two sisters, who became nurses, and three brothers, one of whom died in World War I. The family resided in

Ringsend Ringsend () is a Southside (Dublin), southside inner suburb of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the south bank of the River Liffey and east of the River Dodder, about two kilometres east of the city centre. It is the sou ...

, Dublin. As a teenager, Nolan appeared as a chorus girl at the

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows. History In April 1871, the broth ...

Easter Rising

During the

in Dublin, Britain sent reinforcements to Dublin to prevent rebels fighting for Irish independence from overtaking the city. They disembarked at Kingstown on the morning of Wednesday 26 April and heavy fighting occurred at the rebel-held positions around the Grand Canal as these troops advanced towards Dublin. More than 1,000

Sherwood Foresters The Sherwood Foresters (Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in existence for just under 90 years, from 1881 to 1970. In 1970, the regiment was amalgamated with the Worcestershire Regiment to ...

were repeatedly caught in a cross-fire trying to cross the canal at Mount Street Bridge. Seventeen Volunteers were able to severely disrupt the British advance, killing or wounding 240 men. Despite there being alternative routes across the canal nearby, General Lowe ordered repeated frontal assaults on the Mount Street position. The British eventually took the position, which had not been reinforced by the nearby rebel garrison at Boland's Mills, on Thursday, but the fighting there in inflicted up to two thirds of their casualties for the entire week . During the Battle of Mount Street Bridge, Nolan provided humanitarian aid to the wounded. According to the

Sinn Féin Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...

Rebellion handbook (pg. 259), she tended to 'wounded officers and men' while the battle was unfolding. She "went calmly through a hail of bullets and carried water and other comforts to the wounded men." On 24 February 1917, King

honored her at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...

with the Medal for Heroism during Easter Week, 1916. Her award read: "For conspicuous gallantry in the vicinity of the Canal Bridge, Lower Mount Street, Dublin, on the afternoon of the 26th April, 1916, in going out under heavy fire to attend to a wounded officer. Her gallant example inspired other civilians to assist her and the Officer was through Miss Nolan's initiative, removed to cover. Miss Nolan remained under fire for nearly three hours assisting Doctors and Nurses in removing wounded to places of safety." News of her courage and sacrifice was sent to the U.S., where a Chicago newspaper dubbed her 'Ireland's Bravest Colleen.' . Louisa Nolan was among only 150 women to be awarded the British Military Medal, an honor that recognizes valor on the battlefield. The medal is now on display at the National Museums Northern Ireland. In 2016 Ireland further recognized Nolan for risking her life to help others, introducing a stamp in her honour as part of a series to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising.

Later life

After the Easter Rising, Nolan pursued her theatre career in London, starring in the

Harry Lauder Sir Henry Lauder (; 4 August 1870 – 26 February 1950)Russell, Dave"Lauder, Sir Henry (1870–1950)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online edition, January 2011, accessed 27 April 2014 was a S ...

revue, Three Cheers, at the

Shaftesbury Theatre The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden. It opened in 1911 as the New Prince's Theatre, with a capacity of 2,500. The current capacity is 1,416. The title "Shaftesbury Theat ...

.RTE "Brave Irishwomen awarded Military Medals" 26 January 1917
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nolan, Louisa 1898 births 20th-century Irish people Women in war in Ireland People from Dublin (city) Recipients of the Military Medal Year of death missing